Fish Stew

5 from 1 vote

Indulge in the warmth and comfort of Fish Stew, a hearty and flavorful West African recipe. Learn how to cook fish in pepper sauce for an unforgettable dish.

Prep Time13

Cook Time42

Total Time55

Course: Fish, Main Course

Cuisine: African, Nigerian

Keyword: best fish recipe, best fish stew, delicious fish stew recipe, easy fish stew recipe, Nigerian-style fried fish stew

Servings:

Calories: 280kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Fish (gutted, descaled, dressed, and cut)

1 croaker
1 hake
2 tilapia
2 bream

Fish seasoning

½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp all-purpose seasoning
½ tsp mace
½ tsp fenugreek
½ tsp cardamom

For the pepper sauce

5 tomatoes (small-sized)
4 sweet peppers
4 bell peppers
1 onion (medium-sized)
2 scotch bonnets (adjust as required)
3 garlic cloves

Fried fish stew

½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp mace
½ tsp mixed herbs
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
3 knorr chicken cubes
½ tsp all-purpose seasoning

Optional Seasoning

pinch sage
pinch tarragon
pinch oregano
pinch coriander
pinch cardamom
pinch fenugreek
pinch garam masala

Instructions

Fish

Gut and descale the fish using a knife.
Cut the fish to your preferred size.
Season the fish with fenugreek, garlic powder, onion powder, cardamom, mace, all-purpose seasoning, and salt.
Cover the container with cling film and marinate overnight.
In a pan, heat oil over medium-high fire until the oil simmers.
Then, fry the fish with tongs until golden and crispy.
Remove the fish from heat using a skimmer spoon.
Once cooked, transfer the fish to a lined tray lined.
Set the oil aside for later use.

Pepper sauce

Chop the tomatoes, sweet peppers, bell peppers, onions, garlic, onion, and scotch bonnet.
Use a blender to blend the ingredients until smooth.

Fish Stew

Heat the leftover oil in a saucepan over a medium-high fire.
Pour in the blended sauce.
Cover the pot with a splatter guard and a lid to cook the sauce until it thickens.
Season it with all-purpose seasoning, mixed herbs, salt, mace, paprika, knorr cubes, and curry powder.
Mix the seasoning into the sauce and cook for another five minutes.
Then, toss in the fried assorted fish.
Submerge the fish into the stew to infuse it with the sauce.
Cover and cook for another two minutes over low heat.
Once you're happy with the flavor, serve the Fish Stew with a smile!

Video

Notes

Always use oil with a high smoke point such as sunflower oil.
You can reuse the oil used in frying the fish.
Consume fish stew within 2 hours at room temperature.
In case the stew is too oily from the fish and the sauce, you can get an ice cube and hold it over the oily parts of the stew until the oil solidifies on the ice cube.

Nutrition